The True Discovery
by Shebelle
Summary: The boys have come after Dorothy in the castle with hopes of all four leaving. But what if only three made it out?
1. Heartbreak All Around

_That was one heck of an ambush…_

The Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow slowly crept out from behind the rocks, keeping their sights on the guards parading below. They were still chanting that strange song… _and they were heading into the castle!_ The three friends quickened their pace slightly and managed to finally fall into place at the back of the line of warriors; the Scarecrow in front, Tin Man behind him, and the Lion bringing up the rear.

_Creeeeeeeeaaaaakkkkk, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang. _The drawbridge closed slowly and noisily, giving the friends a chance to break from the line unnoticed. They pressed themselves against the wall and recovered from the adrenaline of getting into the castle. The Lion was the first to break the silence. "Where do we go now?" he gulped.

"Arf, arf!" Toto yipped, attracting their attention to a staircase to their right. "There!" the Scarecrow declared, and charged up the short staircase after Toto, skidding to a stop in front of a large wooden door. Toto seemed certain, so this must be the room where Dorothy was being held. "Wait," the Scarecrow told the others, "We'd better make sure." He turned to the door and called, "Dorothy! Are you in there?" The Tin Man also called out, "It's us!"

"Yes!" came the muffled cry, "It's me! She's locked me in!" There was a sound of running feet as Dorothy ran to the door. "Oh, no! We gotta get her out! Gotta get her out!" the Lion fretted. "Hurry, please hurry!" Dorothy cried frantically, her voice clearer, "The hourglass is almost empty!" _Hourglass?_ The Tin Man wondered. _What happens when it runs out? _Honestly, he didn't want to find out. He wielded his axe and ordered, "Stand back!" Then he swung the axe hard into the door, splintering the wood. He swung repeatedly, going as fast as he could, praying that they would reach Dorothy in time.

Finally the door gave, and the trio was able to get through to her. She stood just inside the door, basket on her arm. The Tin Man met her as she rushed forward and hugged him tight. "Are you alright?" he asked. Dorothy didn't answer. Something was amiss. He pulled back and looked at her. Tears lined her innocent brown eyes, which were red and swollen, indicating she had been crying hard for a while. But there was something else about her eyes that seemed wrong; they were… _empty._ The Tin Man's own eyes widened as Dorothy dropped like a stone and he caught her midway down. The Scarecrow and Lion watched with frightened expressions. "Dorothy?" the Tin Man whispered.

Meanwhile, the Scarecrow looked into the room that had been Dorothy's prison. On a table near the center of the room sat an intricate hourglass filled with blood-red sand… and all that sand was on the bottom. Dorothy's time had run out before they were able to help. "Tin Man," the Scarecrow whispered. The Tin Man looked at him with pained eyes. The Scarecrow gestured to the hourglass, and the Tin Man's brain clicked. Dorothy was gone. She wouldn't come back. They couldn't save her now.

Time seemed to stop. All the oil rushed from the Tin Man's face, and he felt cold. This innocent brown-eyed beauty was just murdered… over a pair of shoes. He looked at the ruby slippers. As he watched, they slowly slipped off of Dorothy's feet and rested on the ground, replaced by Dorothy's brown farm shoes.

Anger pounded through him, and he looked again at Dorothy's pale face. Her expression was sad, and the tears that remained in her eyes fell, soaking the dirt on the stones of the castle floor. The Tin Man leapt to his feet, brandishing his axe menacingly, and pounded down the steps, while the Lion and Scarecrow remained rooted to the spot, shock and grief weighing them down.

The Tin Man reached the bottom of the steps and screamed in anguish, "WITCH!" No answer. "Witch!" he yelled again, "Show yourself!" Her hideous green face appeared on the balcony just above him. She sneered at him with a kind of amused gloating expression. "I see you've recovered your little friend, have you?" She snapped her fingers, and Dorothy's body floated next to her, lying on its back as though on an invisible table. Anger amplified itself inside the Tin Man, and he gripped his axe so tight, he was sure his metal knuckles would split. He was vaguely aware of his friends now flanking him on either side.

A hand rested on his shoulder, and he turned to see it belonged to the Scarecrow. The straw man glared at the green woman above with a wrathful light in his eyes. The Lion did the same, growling fearlessly. The Witch sneered again and held up the hourglass, tossing it down and letting it shatter against the stone floor, resulting in a mini explosion.

As if on cue, guards streamed in and surrounded the boys, cornering against the now-locked front entrance. The trio refused to back down. They now had a new objective; they had to avenge their brown-eyed beauty. The Scarecrow observed the room, looking for something to help them escape. He spotted the chandelier just above the throng of guards, and followed a rope down to the wall on their right. If he could cut the rope, the chandelier would crash down on top of the guards, and maybe give the Tin Man time to get to the Witch. The Scarecrow had very little time to execute his plan; the smoke from the hourglass was beginning to clear. He grabbed the Tin Man's axe and chopped through the rope, and the chandelier collapsed on top of the crowd of warriors.

The Tin Man took his chance. He bolted up another staircase towards the Witch on the balcony. She must have seen him coming, because by the time he got to the overhang, she had turned and run. As she did, her spell on Dorothy's body was broken, and the girl plummeted toward the stone below. "NO!" the Tin Man cried, making a desperate grab for her lifeless hand. He missed, and he watched helplessly as Dorothy soared toward the ground. Just as the hem of her skirt touched the ground, the Lion dove under her, using his body as a cushion. Dorothy landed on top of him and the Scarecrow lifted her off of him, holding her bridal style.

He met the Tin Man's eyes and nodded once, as if to say _Good luck. _The Tin Man returned the action and threw his axe at the door. It hit it in the middle, splintering the crease just enough for the Lion to work the rest of it open. As he watched, the Tin Man's friends sprinted across the drawbridge, which had fallen by force when the door opened, and ran in the direction of the Emerald City, and he himself turned in the direction the Witch had run.

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Keep Running

**OK guys. Sorry it took so long! I was having a bit of writer's block. Hope this makes up for it. The next chapter is under construction, so it won't be so long of a wait.**

The Scarecrow ran for his life down the dark path toward the rocky mountainside that separated them from the Emerald City's path, Toto yapping at his heels. The Lion ran on all fours behind him, snarling and growling to himself, more likely than not just to keep his courage up. As they finally reached the mountain, the Scarecrow stopped short. How were they going to get down the mountain without falling to their deaths or dropping Dorothy in the process?

The Lion all but crashed into the rocks in front of him as he figured out his companion had stopped. "What is it?" he asked, slightly confused. His brain had obviously not clicked at the situation. The Scarecrow threw him a sidelong glance. "Oh…" the Lion understood now. "This is a slight problem," he said, trying halfheartedly to put some humour into the situation.

The Scarecrow frowned at him. "This is no time for jokes, you overgrown pussycat," he snapped.

The Lion's face became solemn, and he closed his eyes in grief. "I miss her, too…" he moaned softly, obviously trying to keep back the tears that were dammed up.

The Scarecrow had never felt so angry or hurt. But he knew he couldn't mourn Dorothy now. They had to get her body and themselves somewhere safe first. He scaled the mountain, then knit his eyebrows in concentration. Suddenly a light bulb flickered in his mind, and he looked up. "Lion," he began. But the Lion already seemed to know his plan; he backed up about twenty steps, and took a running leap at the mountain, digging his claws into the rock, though not without painful difficulty. He winced and took a deep breath. "Well, come on!" he growled. The Scarecrow slung Dorothy's body over one shoulder, then jumped onto his friend piggyback style. With a determined roar, the Lion began to climb the mountain, slowly, but climbing, while Toto leapt from ledge to ledge like a miniature mountain goat.

The Scarecrow held tight to the cat, not daring to look down for fear that he would A) drop Dorothy, or B) fall _and _drop Dorothy. Either of those options would be highly counterproductive. The Lion climbed with a fiery passion, bent on getting the girl he and his friends loved to safety, even if she couldn't come back to them. He wavered for a moment at this, nearly losing his tedious grip on the rock. He shook his mighty mane and growled, determined to keep his sadness and grief inside until they reached the Wizard.

At long last, they reached the foot of the mountain, where Toto sat patiently. The Lion clutched the side of the drop-off while the Scarecrow clambered up from his back with Dorothy's body still on his shoulder. Then he pulled himself up powerfully, landing on all fours on the top of the mountain. They stood for a moment, scanning their surroundings and trying to calculate their route to the City of Emeralds. Finally, the straw man spotted the poppy field that they had crossed through the first time they had come this way; the field that led the way to security. He nudged the Lion, who had collapsed onto his knees to keep the weight off of his front paws. "That way," he said, pointing towards the field of bright red-orange flowers. The Lion nodded and rose to stand on his hind legs. Together, they began to run once more, tears now running down their faces as they neared their breaking points.


	3. Find Her

**See? Told you it wouldn't take long! But sorry it's so short...**

The Tin Man was more furious than anything. He sprinted through the halls of the grand castle, following the soft footsteps of the witch as she tried to escape from his rage. Had he possessed a heart, it would have been pounding and ready to burst.

_She's dead and it's your fault! It's ALL your fault!_

Emotions surged like electricity through his metal body: anger, the most prominent; grief, heart- (or lack thereof) wrenching grief; and, at the back of his mind, sadness, sadness for the girl he may have loved, that he never got the courage to ask her if she loved him as well. All these feelings fueled his fury, shoving him on toward the green woman that stole his happiness away from him. But he suddenly noticed that it was more silent than a moment ago.

He paused for a moment, listening; the footsteps had ceased. He had lost all heading.

_Dammit…_

Anger built to a painful climax again, just as it had below the balcony when he had screamed for the witch to show herself. No bothering to harness or suppress it, he pounded the nearest wall in a frenzy. Though the brick held, unaffected, his thin metal knuckles finally split. He ignored the pain and kept pounding, as though he could shatter the wall and see Dorothy standing there with her soft, pale skin and her gentle brown eyes…

He cried out in grief and slipped hopelessly to his knees, sobbing, not caring if he rusted, but rather wishing he would. He wished he could just rust and stay there for eternity. Maybe the witch would be merciful and kill him, too. She had her slippers now, there was nothing stopping her from destroying Oz.

Amidst his despair, he hardly heard the witch's cackle echoing through the castle:

"That little farm girl's stiff as wood!  
>Mourn your loss, she's gone for good!<br>Come and find me, rip me apart,  
>Because I know you have no heart!"<p>

The Tin Man tensed at the witch's taunting song. She wanted him to kill her? Why? Sorrow and resentment clouded his mind, and he didn't care about the whys anymore. Slowly, fueled once more by hatred, he rose to his feet. His face was the picture of revenge, and his split knuckles made him all the more terrifying. Had Dorothy seen him, she would have been horrified: his innocent, timid persona had melted away, revealing a man who would fight for and avenge what he cared for most.

With new reason, and a refreshed loathing for the witch, he turned and followed the voice up higher and higher into the foreboding castle.


	4. So Cold

"Let us in! Somebody! Let us in!"

The Scarecrow pounded on the tall door of the Emerald City, frantically hoping someone would hear them. The doorman popped his head out.

"Who's there? What do you want?" he demanded in his obnoxious nasally voice.

"Down here!" the Scarecrow barked. The doorman looked down and scowled. But when he saw Dorothy's body, his face fell and he withdrew inside again. The heavy door creaked open, and the Scarecrow and Lion entered gravely. Angry tears fell freely from their eyes as they trekked into the noble city. The doorman met them inside, and he approached them nervously. "I-I didn't know," he stammered. "I didn't know this would happen."

The Scarecrow didn't reply. He strode heatedly through the streets toward the Wizard's throne room.

_You caused this. You and your demands._

They reached the grand door that would lead them to the green leader. The guard outside raised his spear to shoo them back, but then saw Dorothy in the Scarecrow's arms and the doorman sobbing behind them, and immediately let them in, stony-faced.

The Scarecrow stormed to the Wizard.

"Who dares to approach me?" The Wizard boomed. The Scarecrow was not afraid of him any longer. He tramped right up to the massive projection and held Dorothy's body closer.

"Do you see what you've done?" he screamed. "Do you see what's happened because of _you_?"

The Wizard's colossal face appeared in a heavy puff of green smoke. He looked straight ahead of him with a blaze in his eyes. "I have caused nothing!"

"Then you are blind!" The Scarecrow laid Dorothy's body at the foot of the Wizard's altar. The Wizard still did not seem to see her. "All she wanted was to return home, to her family! And now…" His voice broke and he screamed in rage, pressing his fists to the side of his head.

The Lion had taken to pacing around the room like… well, a caged animal. His muscles tensed and were visible under his tawny hide. His claws scratched and scraped at the floor with every step, and he left a trail of tears behind him. "So innocent… so innocent…" he chanted monotonously.

The Wizard did not look at Dorothy, nor did he look at either of her companions. He simply stared directly ahead of him a though they still stood at the door. The Scarecrow, already furious to the point of explosion, picked up the first thing he could find- a panel from the window outside- and chucked it at the Wizard. The panel passed right through him. The Scarecrow didn't notice out of rage. But the Lion did. He prowled up to the Wizard and slashed him across the face with his claws. The giant face didn't react.

"Scarecrow," he said. "Look."

The Scarecrow whirled around. The Lion had his entire arm sticking through the Wizard's jaw. The Scarecrow frowned and approached, still fuming. He studied the area on the Wizard's face where the Lion had stuck his hand through; it was fuzzy, like a projection.

"You're not real," the Scarecrow murmured. He looked up at the Wizard. "You're not even real!"

"Of course, I'm real!" the Wizard boomed.

Toto was yip-yapping like he'd seen a squirrel. He pawed at a silky green curtain on the far side of the room, but the Scarecrow and Lion paid him no mind. Determined, Toto grabbed the edge of the curtain with his teeth and pulled. The curtain parted, and a small, white-haired man stood at a console, frantically cranking wheels and pulling levers. Toto barked again.

The Lion was the first to spot the small canine. "Scarecrow, look!" he cried, and ran towards the small man.

The man turned in time to see the ferocious feline bearing down upon him, pinning him to the control panel. His beady eyes widened at the sight of the Lion's sharp fangs and strong muscles crushing him into the machinery. "Lion, let up!" the Scarecrow hollered. He came up behind his friend. "Who are you?" he asked harshly.

"I-I am the g-great and powerful… Wizard of-of Oz…" the man stuttered.

The Scarecrow's jaw dropped.

"_You?" _he shrieked.

"Yes… I'm afraid so." The Wizard replied sheepishly. "What service may I do you, gentlemen?"

The Scarecrow's eyes flamed again. "You couldn't have just sent her home, could you?" he wailed. "You couldn't have just given her what she wanted!"

The Wizard looked at him uncomprehendingly. The Scarecrow covered his face with his hands and wept bitterly, turning away. The Lion dismounted from the man and sadly pointed behind himself at Dorothy's body where it still lay on the shining green floor. The Wizard frowned and crept closer. He recognized Dorothy, and he gasped and recoiled. "I'm sorry…" he whispered. "I am so… sorry…"

"Sorry doesn't bring her back!" the Scarecrow bawled. "Sorry doesn't take her home! Sorry doesn't help her now!" He paused. "She was so trusting… so naïve… and it killed her…"

"No, my friend," the Wizard said. "I was the one to cause this. I knew the odds of her coming back alive, and I should have listened to my intuition. I've caused her to perish."

The Scarecrow was speechless now. He had lost all anger and fury that had boiled within him. All that was left now was grief. Grief and sorrow. Dorothy was gone, and she wouldn't return. He knelt next to her body and brushed her brown curly hair back from her face, laying a hand on her cheek. It was so cold. So cold…


End file.
